Hoffman Fabric Challenge Doll 2008 Artist Susie Woodworth

I thought I had another 3 weeks and not 5 days to finish and ship her...plus go fishing with my husband. Yikes!!!!!!! We did fish at Lawrence Lake up in Parkdale, Oregon. How beautiful blue and sunny it was as we sat in the sun and just enjoyed ourselves. The lake is pretty high and Mt. Hood is just looming over the next ridge.

My Hoffman Challenge Doll started off long and lean with blue striped Hoffman fabric legs. Bit by bit I started to add clothes and accessories of found and stored items.

The Peacock and not the nest...(the nest is still on the ironing board). How do you make a stuffed peacock when all the peacocks are going the same direction? My secret!~ I stuffed this bird and her she is with the bird in hand. Hopefully, if this doll is picked to travel with the Hoffman Challenge shows, she will hold up well.

The skirt was different shapes and sizes in my head and on the doll. It took awhile to get where I wanted. I beaded some gold and blue beads here and there. It was too boring and at the 10 th hour of cramming to get her done... I decided that sprinkles of beads was my artistic design. I used some ribbon to crazy quilt around her large lily. The wonderfully cute pink sequin bead trim came from my sister who loaned them to me to try.... oops I owe her! I lined the skirt with some wonderful green fabric that had metallic green tinsel in it.

My husband can't quite figure out her fingers holding up her skirt. I told him it was a girl thing! I also asked him to help me name her and that was a total mistake. I showed her off at work and one MD asked for an Anti emetic. Funny... boys.

It's just a girl thing to enjoy.

Her tail feathers are from the peacocks tail of the main Hoffman Challenge fabric. I lined them with a blue suede fabric and edged them with a turquoise fringe yarn. I made my own multi - varigated ribbon to cover the ends of her wings and tail feathers. I used all sort of bits and pieces of most this fabric. My mother would have a fit if she saw the left overs.... holes all over.

Do you like her wings? At first they started out to be pantaloons for her. Then I hated the idea... then I got a wild idea at the 11th hour while trying to get her done to ship her the next day. I had machine quilted them already and I had not used that Hoffman fabric yet in the challenge. I made my own bias tape with another challenge fabric and had wings. Inside them I added firm wire .

On the wooden bass and I knew I wanted to use the large flowers from the Hoffman fabric. I gooped them up and attached them to the base, added those small and even smaller micro beads with a matte sealer. I had planned to have the stuffed peacock at her feet since I was not the happiest with them (the feet). Then she would have been holding a blue feathered peacock nest in her right hand. BUT... my sister saw the nest and said, "what is THAT THING!" The nest got axed! This base picture looks like her feet are blue duck like feathers. One foot is flat and one is toe pointed. Maybe duck feet would have been better!Do you like her hair. What I do to a skein of yarn would have knitters after my hide. I was going to add all sorts of beads, ribbon, extra yarns and "things" to her hair as I planned her in my head. But the final showing is just the gorgeous yarn it's self. OOOps. Lost the yarn tag to tell you what it is.

Her face next to the last thing to be done. I wanted to see her whole being before I hand painted her face. I use pins to even everything out then dot the spots, remove the pins and draw in the face. It took me a bit to get the blue green of her eyes then add a touch of gold and sealer to simmer.

I loved doing this doll. I hated to ship her off. Hope she has fun and it will be interesting how she looks when she returns.